The Honeymoon
by DazzledIn2008
Summary: The "missing" honeymoon chapter from Breaking Dawn, from Bella walking into the water.
1. Chapter 1

1.

With one quick motion, he scooped me up into his arms, cradling me gently while the white sandy beach disappeared behind us. He was swimming, carrying us into deeper waters, while holding me in his arms. I knew we were moving, but I couldn't feel his legs beneath the surface of the water. All I could think about was this moment, and his face in the moonlight, and his inescapable beauty… and that he was _mine_.

I reached up to touch his face, and our eyes met. His liquid gold eyes stared deep into mine, and my heart started to pound. I remembered to breathe as the slow, deep burn spread throughout my body, and I wound my fingers in his bronze hair, pulling his face down to mine. My lips pressed softly against his, for a moment, and then he slowly pulled away just enough to look into my eyes again.

"Bella," he whispered. "My Bella…"

His eyes were bright now, liquid fire, flushed with desire. He looked… hungry. For my blood or my body, I didn't know which, but I was about to find out. He kissed me again, our lips moving softly together, then more urgently, more passionately. I parted my lips slightly and touched the tip of my tongue to his stone cold lips. He froze, just for a second, as if he were about to impart one of his many long-standing rules, and I felt his breath catch in his chest. He didn't stop me, so I took advantage of either his aquiescence or his hesitation, and I ran my tongue slowly across his lips. He moaned softly and shuddered. Ah… my heart soared! I could give _him_ pleasure! Could it be possible? I had forever to find out, but I would start tonight.

I knew his lips were as far as I could go, staying a safe distance from his sharp, venom coated teeth, and I started to pull back, but then something happened that never happened before. His lips opened, and I felt his tongue against mine, moving slowly, hesitantly. My heart started to pound again, and I tried to remember how to breathe. He had never allowed this before, but we were past all the rules now, we were married, we were _trying._

His free hand cradled my head, his fingers in my hair, twisting and knotting as our kissing grew more and more passionate. His lips moved hungrily across my jaw, down to the hollow of my throat, and lingered on my neck, where I was sure he could feel the blood pounding in my veins. His lips were open as he kissed me, and he gently used his tongue to taste my neck for the first time. He paused, again just for a second, as if deciding whether I tasted too good, and he could no longer resist. But I knew my Edward. Hmm. I sighed to myself as I thought that again… _my_ Edward. I didn't think I would ever get tired of thinking that.

His hand had moved from my hair to my neck, softly stroking my skin with his fingertips, down across my shoulder, then brushing back to my throat. His lips moved back up to meet mine, as his hand slowly drifted down the front of my body. I gulped as I realized what he was doing, what _we_ were doing, and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. I'd never had to deal with this level of embarassment before, this total betrayal by my body. Edward always stopped before either of us could lose control, his rules, not mine. But there were no rules tonight, only his icy fingers brushing against my bare skin.

His hands moved gently across my body. Down to my quivering stomach, and then slowly back to my throat. Maddeningly slowly. And back down again. Exploring, testing. Testing _himself_. If only I could tell him he didn't need to worry about that. If he _did_ decide to suddenly end my life by crushing my neck to his mouth and draining my body of every drop of blood, I wouldn't mind. I would die happy. I would die with Edward, with an uncomprehendingly deep and fulfilling love that I would never understand and never get enough of.

A fresh chill ran down my spine, and my drifting thoughts were quickly brought back to Edward's hand on my stomach, brushing slowly back and forth. My body was on fire, his ice cold fingertips leaving blazing trails across my skin. The warm, black water surrounding us neither warmed him up or cooled me down, but it didn't matter. We were perfect, and this night was perfect.

I noticed that his breathing had changed, faster still, and his kisses slowed in urgency. I could tell that he was thinking, deciding. He was hesitant, as inexperienced as I, and I wanted to comfort him. Was he worried about killing me, which was not a new concern for us, one that I had long ago acknowledged and moved on. Or… another thought occurred to me suddenly. Was he nervous about pleasing me? I pulled my face away from his and I looked deeply into his eyes.

"I love you," I whispered softly in the night air. "And I trust you." I ran my hand down his arm, feeling his cold hard skin beneath my fingertips, the lean muscles and tendons beneath the skin, and I rested my hand on his as it moved slowly across my stomach. "I… I like the way you… you make me feel." My pulse was pounding in my veins as I tried to drum up the strength to tell him how I felt, to make him realize that I wanted him as much as he wanted me. "I don't want you to stop… ever…."

He stared at me, slowly realizing what I had said, and I watched the hunger building in his eyes. He leaned in to kiss me again, and whispered my name against my lips.

"Bella, Bella, Bella…, " he said in a low, throaty moan, as he crushed his open mouth against mine. The sound of his velvet voice, thick with desire, the _urgency_ in it, gave me fresh chills, and I moved my hands to his face, his hair, anything to be touching him.

I don't know how long he kissed me like this, how long a kiss like this _could_ last. It could have been minutes or hours, I didn't care, but I suddenly realized that his hand on my stomach was moving again. Not slowly back and forth like it was before, but further _down_ my body. So slowly, it was barely noticeable, but his touch was electric fire, and my senses were acutely aware of every movement. I stopped breathing. He was touching me in places where I have never been touched before, and I was glad it was him, glad he was the first person to make me feel this way. The feeling was strong and overwhelming, something I had never felt before, and I suddenly threw my head back and cried aloud.

"Oh!!!" I gasped.

Edward immediately froze, then quickly grabbed my face in his hands.

"Bella! Bella, what's wrong, did I hurt you? Tell me where, tell me what's wrong!" His expression was concern and guilt and worry all at once.

I tried to breathe, tried to find my voice to comfort him, to calm him, but my head was swimming.

"No, no, I'm fine, I'm… " I gulped air into my lungs raggedly. "I… you… that was… you didn't hurt me…." My breathing started to even out, and although I needed more time to compose my thoughts, I knew I needed to quickly ease his worry. I took a deep breath and smiled my best guilty smile. "That was good, that… _felt_ good. I was just… overwhelmed. By you."

His face didn't change. His lips pressed together in a hard line while he continued to look at me. I could tell that he wasn't convinced.

"Edward." I paused, gathering my strength. It was hard for me to talk about my feelings, even now, now that we were married, and I knew he loved me as much as I loved him. "Edward, what I meant to say was… don't stop."

He continued to stare at me for several very long seconds. Gradually, I saw the furrow in his eyebrows relax and the hard line of his mouth soften. He took a deep breath, a breath I knew he didn't need to_ live_ but that he needed at this moment.

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

I nodded my assent, grinning shyly, as I pulled his face back down to mine.

He touched me again, and this time, when I gasped, I felt the corners of his mouth turn up slightly as he kissed me. He didn't stop.

The burning, the fire in my body, was growing, building with every caress, and my body ached beneath his touch. I could feel something happening, something I've never felt before. The warm feeling in the pit of my stomach started to spread, quickly building inside me. I pulled away from Edward's face and gasped for breath. I let my head fall back again and moaned softly. "Mmm… Edward…"

His mouth was on my neck, hungrily kissing my exposed throat, and I remembered how difficult that once was for him, the smell of my throat, but I could barely think of that. My concentration was on what Edward was doing to my body, what I was feeling, this building, tingling, burning, getting stronger and stronger by the second. My body stretched and twisted beneath his sure hands. Before I knew it, I was tumbling over the edge, and I felt my body exploding, every nerve ending on fire. I gasped again. My heart raced and my entire body collapsed in his arms.

He pulled back to look at my face, but this time, I could tell that he wasn't worried that he had hurt me. His face was full of wonder and awe, but still hesistant, unsure of my response, needing confirmation of my utter and complete happiness. He waited for me to catch my breath, stroking my face with his fingertips, cold and hard and welcome on my hot skin.

Time had no meaning for me, and my breathing and heart rate eventually returned to a more normal pace. I realized that Edward was standing in the water, again, no longer swimming. I hadn't even noticed that we were moving, returning to shore. I curled my body against his and rested my head against his chest. I sighed heavily. No one could be this happy. No one had _ever_ been this happy.

"Bella, love…" he whispered. "Tell me what you're thinking… please." He tried to hide the desperation in his voice, but I knew him too well.

I didn't move for a moment, I was so comfortable in his arms, the warm water beneath us, the salty night air blowing softly against my skin. I flashed back to a very recent memory, sitting collapsed on the bathroom floor of Esme's beautiful island retreat, full of indecision and worry. I smiled to myself, thinking how silly all of that was now, how I should have known that being with Edward would be the most natural thing in the world. I remembered our time in the deep water, and the amazing way he made me feel, how my body responded to his touch like it never had before. Remembering that slow burning, the building, the tingling….

I pulled my head away from his chest and turned up to meet his eyes.

"I'm thinking…" I whispered as I looked up at him beneath my lashes. "That it's time to go inside."


	2. Chapter 2

2.

The French doors to the bedroom suite were still open, just as I'd left them to meet Edward for our midnight swim. I leaned against the doorjamb and stared at the ridiculously huge bed in the middle of the room while I waited for Edward to return from the beach. He said something about picking up our things, our _clothes_, from the palm tree by the water's edge, and then he disappeared in the moonlight. I tore my gaze away from the bed just long enough to confirm my complete lack of clothing, and my thoughts drifted back to the beach, the warm water, Edward's cold hands…. The air was warm and humid, but the memory chilled my skin.

I stared at the bed again.

I had made my decision earlier tonight, to gather my courage and face my insecurities. And to face my waiting, patient husband. But the butterflies in my stomach had returned as soon as I reached the door and saw that bed. It brought back all of my fears. How could I ever be good enough, how could I ever deserve him? How do I _do_ this?

He soundlessly appeared behind me, gently nuzzling my neck. I sighed and closed my eyes as his scent filled the room. His hands rested lightly on my shoulders.

"What took you so long?" I murmured contentedly.

"I was admiring the view," he chuckled, and he ran a cold fingertip from the back of my neck down my spine, pausing at the small of my back, then slowly back up again. With one hand, he swept my hair aside and his lips moved eagerly from the nape of my neck to my throat. I leaned back into him, molding my body to his, my heart starting to pound again.

His mouth was at my ear.

"You are the most beautiful, most exquisite creature that ever existed," he whispered. "I will never get my fill of you…"

There was a new sound to his voice, a need, an urgency that I hadn't heard before. His hands moved from my shoulders down to my waist, sliding around to the front of my body, pressing on my stomach, pulling me back into him. His mouth moved hungrily over my neck, my throat, my shoulders, never staying in one place for long. His hands were everywhere, and everywhere he touched me, my skin was on fire. My blood was boiling, my heart pounding in my chest. The room started to spin, and I realized that I had forgotten to breathe. I greedily gulped air into my lungs and then opened my eyes to get my balance.

The bed was still there.

The butterflies returned to my stomach, that nervous, anxious feeling I'd had earlier in the bathroom. What if I wasn't good enough for him, what if I couldn't make him happy, as happy as he makes me? My hands turned to fists at my sides, angry with myself. Why did I do this, overthink every move? I knew Edward loved me and that we were destined for each other, and that bed shouldn't be an issue!

"Bella?" Edward's soft velvet voice interrupted my sulk. "What's the matter, love? You seem… distracted." He sounded curious, amused, not upset or worried. His lips continually brushed across my skin while he spoke.

"It's the bed." I bit my bottom lip nervously, my eyes never leaving the huge monstrosity.

He stopped what he was doing and followed my gaze across the room.

"You don't like the bed," he stated.

"I like the bed, but it's… intimidating… its just so _big._"

He thought for a moment and walked towards the bed. I watched him walk away from me, and I felt my face growing hot, suddenly embarrassed by our nakedness, but I couldn't look away. He was so excrutiatingly beautiful, his white skin, the hard lines of his back, the lean muscles of his legs. He turned, at that moment, to look back at me, smiling my favorite crooked smile. He reached back towards the bed, and with one quick movement, he pulled the bedcovers to the floor. The white fabric floated slowly down to the bleached wooden floors and settled in a soft cloud at the foot of the bed. He looked deep into my eyes and reached his hand out towards me, beckoning me towards him, towards our _new_ bed on the floor.

"Come here," he said, his voice husky and deep and commanding.

I couldn't move. My knees were weak and trembling, and I knew if I tried to take a step, I would collapse to the floor. My heart fluttered wildly and my breath came in gasps. The look on his face was indescribable. He was still looking directly at me, his eyes locked with mine, his hand still outstretched towards me. But his expression was… raw, animalistic, _hungry_. He looked almost ready to pounce, his chin down, eyes looking up at me, knees slightly bent. He looked like what I thought he would look like when he hunted, except that now, he was hunting _me_. I was waiting for him to sink into a crouch, and then spring at me, and it would all be over quickly. It reminded me of that day in his bedroom, the day I told him that I didn't think he was scary, and he proved me wrong.

Seconds ticked by silently. Neither of us moved.

"Bella…" he said again, throaty and low, almost a moan. Thick with desire, with _need_. He walked slowly towards me, never looking away. My hand lifted, almost involuntarily, to meet his. When my fingers touched his, an electric current passed between us, like the first time I touched his cold hard skin.

The bed disappeared from the room. Or at least from my view. All I could see now was Edward, and I knew what I wanted more than anything in the world. I wanted him.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, our bodies pressed together, his arms wrapped tightly around my back. I was suddenly overcome, by the moment, by my need for him, by a sudden… confidence. I took his face in my hands and slowly leaned up to kiss him. I stopped, less than an inch from his face. I could smell his sweet breath and it made me a little dizzy.

"Don't… move…" I whispered. I moved closer, still not touching him. His lips parted slightly, waiting for my kiss.

"Stay… very… still…" I whispered again. We were close enough that I knew he could feel my breath on his face, intoxicating him, burning him.

He started to say something, I think it was my name, but I touched my fingers to his lips to stop him.

"Shhh," I said softly. He moaned at my touch, and I could feel his desperation building as he tried to kiss my fingers, his mouth hungry.

I gently pulled my hand away from his lips and traced the hard planes of his face, a face I knew so well, every curve, every soft dip, every hard edge. My fingertips ran across his jaw, barely touching his skin, down his neck. I lingered for a minute in the hollow of his throat, and then brushed across his shoulders and his collarbone.

I placed both hands flat against his chest, marveling at the hard, smooth muscle, the coolness of his skin. I moved slowly, memorizing his body with my fingertips. When I slid my hands across his stomach, he shuddered and moaned again.

"Bella… _please_…" he whispered, pleading, desperate.

I felt oddly powerful, euphoric. This was so new to me, this feeling of control. Since the day we met, I had always felt that Edward had the upper hand in our relationship. He set the rules, he enforced them, and I allowed it, anything to be near him. He had remarkable _self_-control, and I had none when it came to him.

Part of me wanted to keep going, to continue my slow exploration, but I knew it was not a good idea to test the limits of a vampire, husband or not. And as much as I was enjoying the moment, I truly could not stand to see him in any kind of pain.

I took both of his hands in mine and pulled him down to the floor with me.

The bedcovers were soft, but the floor was hard beneath me as we lay together on our makeshift bed. His fingers stroked my arm gently, and he turned his face to mine.

"Bella, I… I promised that we'd try. If I hurt you…" he said nervously.

"I know," I whispered and touched his face. "But you won't. We belong together."

He looked deep into my eyes for a moment, then bent his face down to kiss me. As our lips moved slowly together, I pulled his body tightly to mine. His hand moved down my leg, and with one sure movement, he pulled my leg up and wrapped it around his waist. My hands were in his hair, on his back, pulling his body even closer to mine. He held himself carefully above me, but not as he usually did. I could feel his weight on me, pressing me into the hard floor. He pulled his face back slightly to look into my eyes again, hesitating for a moment, and then I felt him inside me. We were one person. Joined together for eternity.

His eyes searched my face, and I could tell that he was wondering if he should stop, if he was hurting me. I wrapped my legs tightly around his body, and reached hungrily for his mouth. Surely he would see that as permission to continue. He kissed me carefully at first, then more urgently. Our bodies moved together on the hard floor, his hips keeping us in a slow, burning rhythm. I could tell this was difficult for him. His face was taut, his jaw a hard line. He was using all of his restraint to bring us to this point without killing me, but I didn't care. I wanted more of him, whatever the price.

"Edward…" I whispered between breaths. "Tighter… hold me tighter."

My words ignited him, and he pushed his body hard against me, the cold granite of his hips grinding against mine. As he moved quicker inside me, I noticed that the bedspread started to slide across the floor, just a little, and I knew I would remember that, _after_, and smile. But all I could think of now was the feeling building quickly in my body, and that it was Edward taking me there, again. Just as before, in the water, I felt the slow burn start in the pit of my stomach, spreading to my arms, my legs, my fingers, my toes. I gasped, my body surrendering to the feeling.

Edward's eyes were wild, his teeth clenched together. He held me even tighter, just for a moment, and then I heard a low gutteral noise coming deep from within his chest.

"Bella!" he growled my name, his body stretching, arching. His hips pressed tightly into mine one long, last time, and then finally, he relaxed, falling into my arms.

The room was quiet, except for the sounds of our breathing and my pounding heart. He started to roll to his side, but I stopped him.

"Wait… not yet," I said, and I wrapped my arms around his back, holding him tightly to me. "Don't leave me yet." The weight of his body on mine was comforting, and I never felt as close to him as I did now. I wanted this feeling to last forever. Lucky for me, forever had a different meaning for us.

We lay there for a while, neither of us moving, completely happy to lie here on the floor forever in each other's arms. I looked at the bed again and smiled to myself. Whatever issues I had before were now gone. It was just a bed. _Our_ bed.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Hmm?" he murmured contentedly. His eyes were closed, and he was absently playing with a lock of my hair.

"I was thinking…"

"Ah," he said softly under his breath. "Finally. You volunteer, and I don't have to ask."

I smiled, and took a deep breath.

"The bed… it doesn't bother me anymore."

He opened his eyes and slowly turned to look at me. He looked deep into my eyes for a moment, and then he started to grin. He scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bed. Forever starts tonight.

7


End file.
